It’s frightening, yet incredibly amazing how uncomfortable a new environment can make someone.
We become so used to our surroundings: the people we know, the places where we spend time, the weather, etc. Going to college is one such situation.
For most of us, we go from being solely dependent on our parents and never having to worry about much of anything, to having to worry about it all: laundry, food, and of course, money.
Juggling a rigorous schedule, a job, a social life—all while acclimating to a completely new place—may seem nearly impossible. Most difficult of all, perhaps, is the new-found sense of loneliness that sets in as soon as your parents’ minivan door slams shut, leaving you standing solo, waving goodbye reassuringly in an attempt to subdue your mother’s tears.
We all go through it, but how do we combat it? The answer is simple. Say, “hello.”
In the ever-developing technological generation that we live in, social skills are becoming increasingly lacking. Unfortunately for all the shy ones out there, they are still incredibly necessary. It can seem tremendously petrifying to approach someone and begin a new conversation. What on earth do you have to talk about? Thankfully, some people are numb to such fear. For me, this fearlessness came in the form of one kind-hearted upperclassman.
It was my second day on campus, and I had just finished my Chik-fil-a. I started to roam through the student union, as I had nowhere else to go.
Eventually, I noticed the activity board, containing a wide variety of activities to be a part of on campus. It was mind-boggling. I didn’t even know where to begin. As I continued to stare in awe, a girl I recognized from orientation approached me. She walked up and said, “Hi there! You look like you could use some help!”
I nodded. She kept going: “So what are you interested in?” I began to tell her what I wanted to join, and within 30 seconds she had grabbed my hand and was pulling me off to meet the president of one of the organizations — a friend of hers.
Afterwards, she gave me her number and told me to text her with any other questions I had. Within a week, I was getting texts from all sorts of people around school, all of whom she had given my number to. My new life had taken a complete 180. I got involved, met hundreds of new people and finally felt like I belonged at this place.
I came to school as a ‘nobody.’
All it took to completely flip that was one person. Now, not everyone you meet is going to change your life in some drastic way. Reversibly, you won’t be able to dramatically alter every person’s life simply by saying hello. However, there’s someone out there who just needs that one hello.
There’s someone out there who’s just waiting for someone like you to walk up and crack their shell. Mother Theresa once said, “To the world, you may be just one person. But to one person, you may be the world.”
The earth is massive. Yet, even with 7 billion other people on it, each of us has the capacity to make a difference. It can all start with just one word. Say hello!
Adam Murphy is a freshman business undeclared major from Fort Wayne, IN.
